There is an increasing trend to create electronic materials in the nanoscale range, leading to advances in device performance. Inorganic nanowires and carbon nanotubes are known and have been prepared into nanoelectronics and other devices. These materials are typically prepared by chemical vapor deposition, thereby limiting their ability to be processed.
Polymers exhibit a wider range of processability. Polymer nanostructures have been prepared by a variety of methods, including ultra-high energy ultraviolet photolithography, nanoimprint lithography, direct-write lithography, phase separation of block copolymers, electrostatic spinning into nanofibers, and template approaches, to name a few.
Conjugated (“conductive”) polymers typically contain rigid aromatic backbones, making them difficult to process into nanostructures. Typically, conjugated polymer nanostructures are formed by a template approach. There are few reports of forming conjugated polymer nanofibers via electrostatic spinning. The reports indicate, however, that an additional polymer needs to be blended with the conjugated polymer in order to effect electrostatic spinning. The additional polymer can later be removed after fiber formation, leaving the conjugated polymer nanofiber. Removal of the additional polymer leads to modification or loss of the original fiber morphology.
There remains a need in the art for a convenient process to prepare and control the formation of conjugated polymer nanostructures. There also remains a need in the art for a convenient process for the preparation of conjugated polymeric fibers having a range of diameters.